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What happened
Skip NavigationMarketsBusinessInvestingTechPolitics & PolicyVideoWatchlistInvesting ClubPROLivestreamMenuKey PointsThe Future of Life Institute, a nonprofit that warns against the risks to humans of large-scale technologies, brought together lawmakers and policy advisors from across the political spectrum urging regulatory action on AI. But all four appeared in a Marriott ballroom in Washington on Tuesday to raise alarms about the existential threats of artificial intelligence. But the alarms have so far gone unheeded by President Donald Trump and Republican leaders on Capitol Hill, despite some in the populist wing of his MAGA base urging action.
But any calls for quick legislative action on AI safety will likely go unanswered, at least until after the election, as the House is set to leave Washington on Thursday and not return until after the Nov. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. , to former Trump advisor Steve Bannon called for curbs on the technology's risks. The event came less than a week after an Anthropic employee resigned and posted publicly his concerns about the existential risk posed by the technology, sparking a furious debate in Washington about how to oversee AI.
Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. , and Steve Bannon, a former advisor to President Donald Trump.
The wider picture
Cross | Aaron Schwartz | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesProgressive stalwarts Sen. Greg Casar, D-Texas, agree with staunch conservatives like Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and former White House strategist Steve Bannon on few issues. "Our jobs, our freedom and our safety, all at risk. It's hard to think of an issue that fundamentally touches more aspects of our lives," Casar said at the event, dubbed the "Pro-Human Assembly" and organized by the Future of Life Institute, a nonprofit that advocates against large-scale technological risks.
Massie seeks Hegseth’s impeachment over IranTrump calls Supreme Court mail ballot ruling ‘big loss for Republicans’The event was planned before last week's bombshell post by Jacob Coxon, an Anthropic employee who resigned and wrote on X about the critical risks of unchecked AI development and said major developers including OpenAI and Anthropic are "gambling with our lives. " But the gathering took on new meaning in the revelation's wake, as much of Washington scrambles to come to terms with a technology that has evolved rapidly and for which little regulation exists.
Following Coxon's post, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the company would delay its plans to go public this year, citing growing concerns about AI safety.
What has been reported
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an essay last weekend urging AI companies to slow development. His proposal got online endorsements from both Altman and xAI founder Elon Musk. Bannon called on Democrats and Republicans to "rise above" partisanship to address AI risk and provide a check on companies. "We can never trust what oligarchs say, because all they do, they're disingenuous, and they lie. "Meanwhile, Trump has called the concerns a "hoax" and doubled-down on his support for the industry.
"The only control or "guardrails" that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ! ) PRESIDENT, and the U. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. , said it is the responsibility of the tech companies, and not of Congress, to regulate themselves. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, invoked the threat of China in an interview with Politico, saying if the technology does turn lethal, he'd "rather they be American killer robots and not Chinese killer robots.
What happens next
"And on Tuesday morning, roughly a mile away from the Future of Life event, Vice President JD Vance met with Republicans near the Capitol. According to Republicans in the room, AI didn't come up. Even among those who recognize AI is a growing threat, so far there's been little consensus on how to address it. Roy, at the event, seemed to split somewhat with the president and advocate a balanced approach between government and business.
Roy is the policy chair of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, a group that has split with Trump over federal spending and other issues. "The president yesterday said that he should be making the decisions on AI. I don't think big tech CEOs should be making all the decisions about AI.